Court day!

I went to court this morning. It was the first time I had been in this courthouse, but it wasn't my last, as I had hoped it would be.

This was the follow up to the traffic ticket I got in June. I was prepared to fight it out with the prosecutor, hard evidence and all, but this wasn't the time, apparently. And how would I know that, being a non-frequent visitor to court?

After the prosecutor finally arrived late and requested that all attendees who were there from my town line up and check in with him individually, I was quick to scramble into the very long queue. I was 7th in line out of nearly 40. Lucky number 7.

I noticed how the individuals in front of me were quick to open their checkbooks as soon as they had the opportunity to make their traffic violations disappear. You see, the violation could be very quickly taken care of as long as the offender would pay its exact amount towards a charitable organization. "Special Olympics is one of our favorites," the prosecutor told one eager fellow.

When it was my turn, I stated my name, clarifying that I was not Peggy, who shared my last name and also had a court appearance that day. He quickly reviewed my file and stated not to my surprise, "Hmm. Cited for failure to use required turn signals. Wow, I've never seen one of these before."

Really? Well, apparently every other offender who got such a citation from Officer Blink decided to plead guilty and pay it. There is a first time for everything, yessir, and let me be the one to make it happen. The prosecutor was not in a position to just toss my ludicrous citation out. He gave me two choices: I could make a charitable donation in the amount of the fine or set a date for a court hearing.

I'll be returning to court on January 6.